1792 H10C Half Disme, Judd-7, Pollock-7, R.4, VF30 NGC. The
1792 half disme reflects the tentative beginnings of the early Mint
and the challenges that designers and engravers had in transforming
the necessary symbolism supported by America's founding fathers
into handsome designs. That the early coinage would feature Liberty
was a given after it was decided that the portrait of Washington,
or any other president was not suitable for circulating coinage.
The selection of the eagle for the reverse was more
problematic.
The absence of a national coat of arms which artists could
replicate in whole or in part demanded the selection of a motif
capable of conveying the authority of a new country. The eagle, now
a familiar symbol of American power, was selected more by a process
of elimination than by an affirmative designation. A January 1791
report by the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton noted
that "The eagle is not a very expressive or apt appellation for the
largest gold piece, but nothing better appears..." For the past two
centuries, numismatic artists in America have been interpreting the
motifs of Liberty and the eagle with varying success.
Cornelius Vermeule, in his opus Numismatic Art in America,
commented on the aesthetic challenges of this early issue. He
wrote, "The bust of liberty, labeled 'Parent of Science and
Industry,' is an unflattering cross between Martha Washington and
one of the wild-eyed harridans who knitted while heads rolled
during the French Revolution." Regarding the reverse, he commented
that it resembled, "...an ailing barnyard fowl, with undersized
wings spread at odd angles, curving neck, and oddly foreshortened
body, a creature nowhere better seen than on the small surfaces of
the dime and half-dime." Certainly, this design is not beautiful by
traditional standards, yet its charm is undeniable.
This example is absolutely exceptional for the grade. Its surfaces
are a handsome deep charcoal-gray with golden undertones that liven
up the peripheries. It is free of the issues or distracting
problems that plague these early coins, and it exhibits no
distracting marks worthy of individual mention. The wear is even
and the strike is uniform, resulting in rewarding detail remaining
in the hair, and a strong profile to admire. A lively example that
will certainly attract well-deserved attention when it crosses the
auction block. (Registry
values: P9) (PCGS# 11020)